India Sanitation Coalition

Check the fit first

• The SWACH Accelerator is for WASH startups only: water supply, sanitation, hygiene and waste management.
• Preference goes to climate-resilient startups.
• It supports startups from prototype stage onward.

How selection worked in the first cohort

• Applications were invited after the April 2024 launch.
• They were screened to shortlist the most promising innovations.
• A jury meeting then finalised the cohort.

What to do now

• No open call is announced on the page. Write to indiasanitationcoalition@ficci.com to ask whether a second cohort is planned.
• Look at the RAKIS awards, which are aimed at WASH startups.
• Corporates and investors working in WASH can ask ISC to connect them with startups.

What the cohort covered

• Business models, financial modelling with a social impact view, fundraising and impact investment, and pitch readiness.
• A Demo Day in front of investors and stakeholders.

The India Sanitation Coalition (ISC) is a water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) platform hosted at FICCI Federation House in New Delhi. It brings government and the private sector together on sanitation work. For startups, its main offer is the SWACH Accelerator, a programme for early-stage WASH and waste innovators that ran its first cohort in 2024 and 2025.

What the SWACH Accelerator is

The SWACH Accelerator was conceived by the India Sanitation Coalition at FICCI along with Innovation Mission Punjab and IIT Ropar. It is meant to give private-sector sponsors a dedicated platform to engage with and support entrepreneurs, startups and businesses working on innovation in this sector. The accelerator has three pillars. Innovation Mission Punjab supports early-stage startups, from prototype and beyond, with mentoring and business support to prepare them for commercialisation. IIT Ropar offers technical assistance to help startups scale. ISC acts as the enabler, recognising and validating the work of startups in the WASH sector.

Who it is for

The accelerator looks for solutions in four areas: water supply management, sanitation access, hygiene enablement and waste management. It covers the whole value chain of build, use, maintain, treat and reuse, and gives preference to climate-resilient startups working in the WASH sector. If you build a product or process for water, toilets, waste handling or hygiene, this is the audience it is written for. Founders in other sectors will not find a fit.

How the first cohort worked

The programme officially launched in April 2024 and invited applications from startups and entrepreneurs. Outreach events and roadshows were held in Delhi/NCR on May 2 and 3, 2024. Applications were screened, and a jury meeting finalised the selected startups. The first cohort launched in July 2024 with ten startups: Integerspin, Celligo, GreenBrigade, Paving+, InWaste Technologies, Econscious, Aryav Eco-friendly Resources, Nanokriti, New Unnat India Techno Solution and Innovation, and Green Aadhar.

The acceleration ran as structured contact sessions. The first, in June 2024, covered business models. The second, in July 2024, covered financial modelling with a social impact view. The third, in August 2024, covered fundraising and the impact investment landscape. A pitch readiness workshop followed in September 2024. Industry mentors from across India joined the sessions. A Demo Day was held on 14 February 2025 at FICCI Federation House in Delhi, where startups presented to investors and stakeholders. Selected startups are to receive continuous mentorship and handholding support for fundraising.

What the partners provide

Innovation Mission Punjab is a collaboration between the Punjab Government and the private sector. It says it has engaged with over 1,900 startups. IIT Ropar Technology and Innovation Foundation, through its AWaDH hub, is the technical partner and provides testing and development facilities, lab access, patent facilitation and support for commercial research. ISC itself provides techno-managerial support, links stakeholders, and helps corporates invest in startups.

Awards and events

ISC also runs the ISC-FICCI Sanitation Awards, which it says have recognised more than fifty corporate houses since 2017, and the Rashid Kidwai innovation in sanitation awards (RAKIS) for WASH startups, held alongside its annual conclave. The 2021 RAKIS launch offered a fully sponsored two-year incubation prize at SINE-IIT Bombay in two categories: municipal sewage and municipal solid waste.

Status and how to reach ISC

The pages we read describe the first cohort as complete and do not announce a second open call. Fees and equity terms are not stated. To ask about the next round or to join as a partner, write to the ISC team or use the contact form on its site. ISC is at FICCI Federation House, Tansen Marg, New Delhi 110001.